


Angel/Ghost In The Snow

by ratcoven



Category: Motionless in White (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Pre-Band, kind of?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 17:16:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15868128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratcoven/pseuds/ratcoven
Summary: Ricky looked up at him with a soft smile even if he knew he probably couldn’t see it. “Hey, who knows. If this winds up lasting, tonight will probably turn into one crazy story to tell.”“Absolutely. I can already tell it’ll be one of my favorites.”





	Angel/Ghost In The Snow

**Author's Note:**

> I am back and better than ever! This took so fucking long to write. You guys have no idea. I'm incredibly excited about this story though so it's fine. This is going to be a multi-chapter fic, so fair warning. It's gonna be a big long ride. This first chapter is terribly cute and fluffy, but I promise it won't last too long lmao. 
> 
> I think I've got something good here. Please leave me some feedback, tell me what you think about this whole thing— it's all greatly appreciated!

Seattle wasn’t exactly the most glamorous place in the world, but most of the time it felt more like home than home ever really did. It was a bit of a hike just to see whatever shitty local band had booked the night, but shows were always enough of an escape to prove worth it. Just you, the music, and the energy of the crowds. A few hours out of a busy life that allowed you to forget everything else and sell your soul to the moment. Nothing feels better, especially when there’s not much else you have. 

Devin had wasted the day away in the city, pounding down more coffee than could ever be healthy and poking his nose into a few of his favorite places. He didn’t get many days off anymore— of course, that was his own fault— but he wasn’t about to let this rare occasion go to waste. And for once, nothing had gone wrong. He kept the peace (for the most part at least), managed not to get mugged in an alley, he didn’t even get more than one or two dirty looks from shop owners when he decided to take his time looking around. A day without any trouble was always a win in his book. 

In typical Devin fashion, he’d made himself a good half an hour late to the show. To be fair, there wasn’t much to look forward to as far as openers went and chain smoking outside while watching the sun set seemed to be a better option than going deaf before he had the chance to actually enjoy himself. So, he sat across the street and listened from afar until the second opener’s set was finally over before making his way inside. They had already cut music on over the speakers as the crew came in and broke down to make way for the main attraction. He still had plenty of time to bide, a little more than he would have liked in all honesty. That was nothing some poor desperate sap with a wad of cash couldn’t fix for him— and it never did take too long to find one of those. He was awful charming after all, of course a full face of makeup didn’t hurt either. A couple drinks wasn’t a bad way to kick off the rest of the night, that was for sure. It was a bit of a dangerous game to play, what with the rest of the day going over smooth. Just when one window closed, another always opened. Still, worst case, he’d perfected his innocent routine a long time ago. It wasn’t too hard to get away unscathed. 

When security got a little too close for comfort and tonight’s piggy bank started to get distracted by a prettier piece of ass, Devin quietly slipped away from the bar and off into the crowd. He’d burned through the worst of it already, now he was fine to find his place and wait the rest out. He made small talk where he could, getting himself more and more hyped up for the headliner to start. There was a certain childlike excitement in him that was only reserved for nights like these. He was back where nothing else mattered, where he really felt alive. 

It didn’t take long for the pit to open up and for Devin to lose himself in the music, that was until he narrowly avoided eating the floor. He could hold his own for the most part, being older and bigger than most of the little demons he encountered had its advantages, but there just had to be that one asshole who had to ruin it for everyone else. Or in this case, a whole flock of assholes. He figured he better keep an eye out, especially considering he could still see over the heads of half the people around him. This ought to be a fun night. 

It was simple— someone falls, you pull them back up. Everyone plays their part so no one gets hurt, right? Devin had picked up way more kids than he’d come to expect usually. No one had gotten proper trampled quite yet, but he knew it was just a matter of time. Devin saw another one go down a few bodies away, expecting to see them surface again just as everyone else had. A few seconds passed and he watched the crowd swallow them whole. Without even a second thought he pushed his way through, taking a good jab at one of the main offenders in the process before finding the poor bastard that had fallen and pulling them up by the collar. He didn’t have to see their face to know that they couldn’t be in great shape, but the pit certainly wasn’t the place to check them out. Instead, he opted to grab them by the arm once he’d gotten them back off the ground and get them out of dodge first. He weaved his way through the crowd and found his way to the bathrooms, somewhere a little more quiet to make sure this kid was alright. 

This was the first good look Devin got at who he’d pulled out of the pit. Short and skinny as a rail, it was no wonder he’d gotten taken down like he did. He didn’t look too bad from what Devin could see, split lip and a bloody nose, couple of visible scrapes here and there, but even so he was certain that he had to feel a whole lot worse. Understandably, it took a minute for the kid to regain his bearings, but he eventually came back to his own. “Ow,” he said quietly, reaching up to rub the back of his head. “Fuck, I hit my head.” 

Devin couldn’t help but laugh a little, taking a step forward and offering him a smile. “Did a little worse than that. You alright, dude? You looked a little shell shocked there for a minute.”

“Yeah, I think so. Just hurts.” It was only then that he really looked up at Devin standing off to the side. “I don’t know what happened. I mean, I had already gotten knocked on my ass a couple times but I didn’t exactly expect to face death tonight.” 

“Oh, trust me, I get it. I’ve been there my fair share of times. You’re lucky I saw you go down though. I wouldn’t want to know what would have happened if I hadn’t.”

“Uhh, yeah, thanks for that by the way.” A nervous laugh bubbled up in his chest as he looked back down, only to be met by the sight of scrapes and fresh bruises already starting to form on his arms. “Do I look as awful as I feel?”

Devin moved in closer still, lifting the stranger’s chin to try and get a better look, making him wince a little. “You’re a little bloody, but it doesn’t look too serious. I think you’ll live— but let me clean you up a little. If you don’t mind, that is.” 

“Wh— are you sure? I mean, I wouldn’t complain but you don’t have to. You already saved me from getting trampled which I totally owe you for—” he stammered, looking like a deer in headlights, but Devin quickly cut him off. 

“You don’t owe me anything. Seriously, it’s not a problem. I wouldn’t feel right leaving you like this. Come on, sit down. I don’t bite, I swear.” 

He didn’t fight Devin any further, boosting himself up onto the counter in between the sinks and watching as Devin got a couple of paper towels and turned on the tap to get them wet. 

Devin pushed the hair out of the stranger’s eyes, holding him in place as he mopped up the blood that had trailed down his chin and been smudged across his face. “You got a name or am I stuck mentally referring to you as ‘this kid’ for the rest of the night?”

“Rick, Ricky— whichever is fine.” Ricky grimaced as the paper towels brushed against his split lip. The more time passed, the more he started to realize how good they’d really gotten him. “Sorry, I swear I’m usually more polite than this. What about you?” 

“Devin,” he replied. “I guess a nice to meet you is in order here. So, Ricky, you come here often?” Devin didn’t realize just how awful that sounded until it was much too late, and by that time Ricky had already jumped in.

“Really?” He laughed, looking up to meet Devin’s eyes. “You’ve known my name for three seconds and you’re already starting with the cheesy pickup lines? At least save it for minute two.” 

“Shh, be nice to me. I just saved your life, remember?” Devin gave him a playful little shove, a smile creeping its way across his features. “I didn’t mean it like that, I’ve just never seen you around before. And I’m here like, every other week.”

“I’ll come for a show once in a while, but no— I guess I don’t really come here often. It’s kind of out of the way and I don’t usually have anyone to come with anyway.”

“That mean you’re here alone tonight?” Ricky nodded. “Nothing wrong with that. Gotta make the best of your time, sometimes it’s easier to do alone. And hey, you never know. You might just get lucky and meet a pretty boy that pulls you out of the pit.”

A pretty pink flush rose to Ricky’s cheeks and he shifted, looking away from him. “Yeah,” he muttered, more to himself than anything, “Maybe. But I don’t usually have the greatest luck meeting people. Everyone always finds something to dislike, whether they think I’m too young or too quiet or whatever. Can’t win.” 

“Hey, people are dicks anyway. Not to say that doesn’t include me most of the time. But if it’s worth anything, you seem cool to me.” Devin paused for a minute, thinking about what he was going to say before he brought it up. “Hate to be that guy, but how old  _ are  _ you? I swear I’m not gonna ditch you or anything, but still.”

“Nineteen.” Ricky laughed upon seeing the surprise on Devin’s face. “I know, I don’t believe it either. It’s true though, I’m just ungodly short.” 

“Bullshit, there’s no  _ way  _ you’re older than me. God, I thought you were gonna be sixteen or some shit.” Ricky shrugged, toothy grin plastered across his face, and Devin took a step back, tossing the paper towels and giving him a sly smile. “At least I don’t have to feel weird about asking if you want to get out of here.”

It took Ricky a minute to realize that Devin was actually being serious. His eyes widened and he hopped down off of the counter. “Let me get this straight. You save me from certain death  _ and _ help clean me up and  _ now _ you’re asking me if I want to get out of here with you? Are you always this nice to random strangers?”

“Actually I’m pretty much  _ never  _ this nice. To anyone. But you’ve already had a rough night, and you seem like a nice enough dude. Come on, I’m taking a chance here. What do you say?” 

“Wouldn’t be very nice of me to tell you no, would it? I would love nothing more than to get the hell out of here.” 

Devin broke into a grin, probably a little happier that Ricky said yes than he should have been considering he  _ was  _ a complete stranger. “Well, I don’t know what we’re waiting for.” 

He led the way out of the bathroom and pushed through the crowd of people that had quickly filled in before finally emerging out into the cool evening air. Devin fished around and pulled out what was left of a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, only to promptly have them plucked out of his hand by Ricky. He looked over at him, incredulous look on his face, and only earned a laugh in response. “Don’t even start, I just got trampled. I’ve been dying for a smoke since I hit the floor.”

“Guess I should be thankful you’re not gonna yell at me and get all uptight.” Devin stole the pack back as soon as Ricky had lit up. “You drive here?” 

“Nah, took the bus. You gonna be my chauffeur for the night?”

“Looks that way, doesn’t it?” He had to click his lighter a few times before he finally got it to stay lit. Taking a long drag, he started off down the sidewalk and a nearby sidestreet to get to the lot where he’d parked earlier in the day. Thinking about it, he said a silent prayer that he hadn’t been towed in the time he’d been wandering around the city.

“Where you taking me?” Ricky’s voice piped up from behind him as he tried his best to keep up. The short jokes were getting harder not to make by the minute. 

Devin opted to slow down a little and Ricky was finally able to settle into the pace and take up the space at his side. “I would take you for out for drinks, but I usually try to save the illegal shit for the second date. I don’t know about you, but I’m  _ starving  _ and I know there’s a Denny’s not too far out.”

Again, warmth rose to Ricky’s cheeks and he was beyond thankful that it was so dark out. “Dinner sounds great, but  _ date?  _ Is that what we’re calling this?”

“I’m just teasing you, dude. But I have no problem with calling it a date if that’s what you want it to be.” 

Ricky stuttered out a string of a few broken words before giving up entirely, which earned a chuckle from Devin. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

After a few blocks walk, they loaded into Devin’s car and drove a few minutes just outside of the city. It wasn’t too long until they were sat in a corner booth in the aforementioned Denny’s with two fresh mugs of coffee in front of them. Devin pulled out his phone to check the time, just now realizing how godawful late it had gotten to be. That was bound to cause him trouble back home if he got caught, but who knew? Maybe he’d get lucky tonight, judging by how the day had gone thus far. Really, he couldn’t be bothered to care too terribly much anyway with such a pretty little thing sat across from him. It was totally worth it.

“Feeling any better?” Devin’s voice drew Rick— who had seemed to become content with sitting in a comfortable silence— from his thoughts. He looked up at him, hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Still feels like I got the shit beat out of me, but a little company definitely helps. Thank you again. You didn’t have to do all of this, let alone come to my rescue, but I do really appreciate it.” 

“Happy to help. At least we got a little more out of tonight than just a couple of minor injuries. Making new friends all because of a shitty cover of Chop Suey, imagine that.”

“God, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to listen to System Of A Down the same way ever again.”

“Won’t be able to help but think of you.” Devin smirked and curled his hands around the warm mug on the table in front of him and brought it up to his lips, taking a sip before speaking again. “So, if you don’t spend all your spare time at shows like I do, what  _ do  _ you do?” 

“Work mostly, gotta pay for tickets on the rare occasion I do go out somehow. That or I’m locked away in my room writing or playing guitar. But really, I’ll do anything to take up my time.”

“Guitar, huh? So you  _ are  _ a music person. You any good?”

“I think I’m alright, always room for improvement,” he shrugged. “Guess I’m my own worst critic though.”

“Can’t be any worse than me, I kinda gave up after a while and picked up bass. I have gotten a  _ little  _ better though. But really, I’m sure you’re great.”

“You know, I could play for you sometime. I mean, that’s assuming there’ll even be a  _ next  _ time _.  _ Couldn’t blame you if you’re already starting to get sick of me.” 

“There will  _ definitely  _ be a next time. Cool people are hard to come by these days, you won’t get off the hook that easy. No, but I’d like that. I might even return the favor if I don’t think I’ll totally embarrass myself.” 

Yet again, Ricky was genuinely taken by surprise. He hard enough time getting people to hang out with him to begin with, let alone more than once. Still, he wasn’t about to take any chances of messing this up. “I might just have to hold you to that one.”

Their waiter dropped in and brought them their food, both of them immediately digging in. Devin couldn’t help but laugh at Ricky shoveling hashbrowns into his mouth— not that he wasn’t doing the same. “So you said Seattle’s a little far for you, yeah? Where do you live? Gotta know if I’m even making it home at all tonight if I drive you home.” 

“‘m only about an hour out,” Ricky said, mouth still full. He chuckled at himself, swallowing a mouthful of food before continuing. “Fuck, sorry. I live in Granite Falls. If that’s too far I can get a cab, you’ve already done more than enough.” 

“No, that’s fine, I swear. I actually do too, so that works out fine. You live there for long, or what’s the story?”

Ricky nodded, taking another sip of coffee. “Mhm, we’ve moved once or twice but I’ve lived in the same area my whole life. Boring, I know— but I never did say I was special. What about you?”

“Same deal, I won’t lie. I haven’t even had the pleasure of moving— unless you count moving down into the basement. If you’re boring then I’m  _ way  _ worse. Where’d you go to school?”

“Granite Falls High. Naturally. Worst place on earth.” Ricky watched as Devin’s jaw fell agape and a smile crept its way onto his face. “Don’t tell me you did too.”

“Oh yeah. No fucking kidding, dude. Next I’m gonna find out you live like, next door to me. What are the chances?”

“Small world, I guess. Some might call it fate.” He instantly cringed at his own comment, but still his smile never faltered. “God, that was bad. I’m sorry.”

“You never know. Might just be. But now I’m really starting to wonder how I’ve never run into you before. I knew like,  _ everyone  _ in high school. You can’t have graduated more than what, a year ago? I may be a bit of a dick but sweet little things like you rarely slip past me.”

Furiously blushing once more, Ricky kept his head down, attention trained back on his food. “Okay, I’ll take your word that you’re not always this nice to everyone you meet but I don’t think I’d believe for a second that you don’t always flirt this hard.” All he got in return was a smug grin and a shrug. “I’m not popular now and I sure as hell wasn’t back in school. I had a couple of friends but no one that really stands out. Or stuck around, besides maybe one or two people. But I kept to myself for the most part, didn’t get myself in the middle of too much shit. Worst I did was getting drunk in a Safeway parking lot.”

“Guess that’ll explain it. I was like, the polar opposite. I wasn’t popular or well liked or anything, but I’ve been around the block. Sophomore year hit and I found my place as sketchy little shit that sold weed out of a bathroom stall. Going to parties, making everyone’s life a living hell. Didn’t have anyone to stop me, so I got into as much shit as I could without getting caught. But now I’m kinda in the same boat. I graduated this year and kinda split off from everyone, which in hindsight was probably one of the better decisions I’ve made. Still out here sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong, but now I don’t have nearly as many people egging me on.”

Ricky shrugged. “I get that. And I mean, don’t get me wrong— I wasn’t a total fuckin’ loser. From the sounds of it, you were probably my weedman without me even knowing it. But that just wasn’t my scene, you know? If it weren’t for everyone being unbearable I probably would have been right there with you.” 

“God, do I hear that. Hey, at least we made it out the other side with a couple of good stories and an extensive knowledge of math we will never ever use again. Could be worse.”

“Fair enough. Wasn’t all bad, especially considering it’s giving me a reason to take up more of your time right now.” Ricky shot him a shy smile before slipping his phone out of his pocket to check the time, just as Devin had done before. Nearly 2 AM. “Fuck, I had no idea it was this late. You’re not gonna get into any shit for showing up back home late, are you? I would feel awful if I caused you any trouble.”

Devin shook his head, giving Ricky a reassuring look and reaching over to place his hand on top of Ricky’s. “For the hundredth time, it’s perfectly fine. I  _ probably _ should have been back several hours ago but I doubt it’ll cause anything. My luck’s been pretty good so far tonight, I don’t see it stopping now.”

Ricky felt his heart flutter a little. He’d barely known Devin for three  _ hours  _ and he was already bound to be the death of him. He was  _ way  _ too easy, wasn’t he? “As long as you say so.” 

“What do you say we get out of here, huh? I’ll get you back so you can stop stressing and sleep all the trampling off. Sound good?” 

Ricky nodded. They finished up and he went for his wallet, but Devin had already laid out enough cash to cover the bill and a generous tip before he had a chance to think about it. “Okay, next time you’re gonna let  _ me  _ take you out and pay for everything. Got it?”

Devin’s shit-eating grin told him all he needed to know. “I think I can deal with that.” 

They packed back into the car and started off in the general direction of home. The adrenaline was finally starting to wear off, and they both soon realized just how beat they really were after such an eventful night. That and Ricky was starting to feel every single kick to the ribs that he’d endured. 

He sat in the passenger’s seat, forehead resting up against the cool glass of the window, and his brows seemingly permanently furrowed. Ricky let go of a pathetic sounding whimper, causing Devin to shift his attention over to him. 

“Alright over there, kid? Am I gonna have to worry about you surviving the rest of the night or what?” He reached beside him to give Ricky a little nudge, earning another whine in response.

“If I take a couple aspirin and crawl into bed for a few days, I think I’ll be fine. But I already feel like death so I don’t think it’ll make much difference. If I die, I die.”

“Oh no, you don’t get to pull that now. You just promised me a second date. Come on, don’t leave a guy hanging.”

Ricky glanced over at Devin and narrowed his eyes, carefully considering what he had said before finally letting go of a sigh. “Fine. You got me there. This time. But if next time doesn’t go to plan, you can’t stop me.”

“I’ll just have to make sure it does then. There aren’t many ways you can miss with me anyway. If tonight’s told me anything, you don’t seem like the typical asshole— so you’re already miles ahead of most.”

Met with another round of silence, while he could practically feel the nerves radiating off of Ricky, Devin had a moment to weigh his options. He had an idea. It  _ was  _ awful late, and the countless shots of liquid courage from earlier in the night were finally starting to wear off. Was it a  _ good  _ idea? He didn’t know, nor did he really care. 

“As I’ve established, I’m usually never this nice but do you just want to come back to my place? You know, so I can make sure you’re alright. Already come this far, might as well go the extra mile.”

“Wait—“ 

“Yes, really.” Devin chuckled as he saw Ricky recoil a little. “As long as I won’t get  _ you  _ into trouble come morning.”

Ricky couldn’t quite explain it, but he felt strangely comfortable with Devin. Maybe it was the fact that he’d kind of saved his ass. And just treated him to dinner. And been nicer to him than anyone had in a long time. Either way, there wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to turn him down. 

“No, it shouldn’t be a problem. My parents are pretty cool. But uh,” he got a little quieter than before. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

Devin cracked a smile. Tonight really did just keep getting better. “That’s what I like to hear.”

The rest of the drive back to Devin’s place was filled in with comfortable chatter, more little things that they found they both had in common— which was even more than they had originally thought. 

At some point Ricky had gotten his hands on Devin’s CD binder which he conveniently stashed underneath the passenger seat. Flipping through stacks of everything from Metallica to AFI to Britney Spears sparked nothing short of an impassioned conversation. Between their shared music tastes, apparent mutual love of cats, and the close proximity, they were going to get along just fine.

About an hour later, Devin pulled in through his side yard, following a path of already matted-down grass from the use of the same route to the back of the house everyday. With some careful maneuvering down the hill the house was set on, he pulled in next to a plain concrete slab in the backyard that served as a landing for the door into the basement. He always did forget just how off-putting his whole routine was to anyone who wasn’t familiar enough with it. In fact, he was only reminded when he heard Ricky’s voice from beside him as he collected his things that somehow always seemed to get mysteriously strewn about the car every time he went anywhere. 

“Aren’t you afraid of getting stuck in the mud?”

Devin shrugged, “I’d rather have to use my four wheel drive every once in a while than get keyed or some shit if I did park up in the driveway.” He took his keys out of the ignition and pushed his door open. “Come on, kid. Watch your step, at least if my car gets stuck in the mud I get to deal with it in the morning. I’m too tired to save you now.” 

With another laugh, Devin made his way inside with Ricky in tow. He flicked on the light, revealing the finished basement beyond. It was a modest and well loved little space. The door opened directly into a small kitchenette and gave way to a living area and a bed in one of the far corners. Posters, photos, and magazine centerfolds lined the walls to cover up the tacky wallpaper. The more Ricky looked around, the more he noticed. Stacks of records scattered everywhere, guitars hanging off of one of the walls, and best of all— a black cat that was quickly making its way over to greet them.

Devin leaned down to accept the welcome but the cat had immediately taken more interest in Ricky, sniffing at him for a minute before deciding he was a new friend and winding around his legs. “That would be Absinthe, whom I so affectionately referred to as a dipshit earlier. As you can see, she’s much better at being nice than I am.”

“I don’t know, she’s got some pretty high standards to live up to if you ask me.” Ricky laughed, reaching down to give her a scratch under the chin. “You’ve got it made down here, huh? Never have to venture upstairs. Well I mean, judging by the whole getting keyed thing, I guess would be the whole point?” 

“Pretty much. Let me put it this way— I’ve been paying rent to live in my own basement since I was sixteen. I think that ought to speak for itself.” With Ricky occupied, Devin broke away and made his way over to the stairs. He stepped over the various things that were placed on the bottom few steps and went up, just to make sure the door was latched and locked. Not that there was any reason that it wouldn’t be. That door hadn’t been opened in at least six months, but still. Better safe than sorry.

“Oh,” Now we kind of felt bad for bringing it up. “I’m sorry, that’s rough.”

Descending once more, Devin shrugged. “It’s whatever honestly. Even if I do kind of have to be something of an adult, it’s nice to be able to govern myself. Plus I got a pretty sweet bachelor pad out of it.” He passed by Ricky and back into the kitchenette, locking the door and grabbing a couple bottles of water. “Make yourself at home, dude.” He shot Ricky a smirk, handing one of the bottles over. “If I can help it, you’ll be over here pretty often— so you better get comfortable.” 

Ricky shed his jacket and his shoes, quietly making his way over to the sofa in the center of the space and sitting down as Devin continued to bustle about. Meanwhile, Devin pushed the door open into the bathroom and flipped the switch to turn the light on. He flinched, seeing just how far smudged he’d gotten over the span of the day. “God, I really made you all giggly and nervous looking like  _ this  _ the whole night? You’re a fucking trooper.” 

Devin grabbed a bottle of aspirin off of the counter, reappearing back out in the living area and tossing it in Ricky’s direction. “I’ve got something stronger if you want it, but I figure this is the less sketchy route. Can I get you anything else?”

“Nah this’ll be fine. Maybe a little less light, but I think I’m good otherwise. Thank you for like, the millionth time tonight. You’re probably tired of hearing it at this point. And for the record, you look great so don’t even start.”

“Excuse me if I’m a little suspicious with lipstick smeared across my face.”

“Better than blood.”

“That’s up for debate.”

Ricky let out a snort, popping open the cap and swallowing a couple aspirin. “I’m not gonna think too hard about that one.”

“Probably for best, honestly.” Devin traded in the harsh overhead lights for strings of fairy lights lining the ceiling on his side of the room, giving just enough light to be able to see and get around without being entirely blinded. It was a setup he’d appropriately dubbed his ‘hangover lights.’

“Let me clean up a little and we’ll turn in. You can steal some clothes if you want, just as long as you promise to give ‘em back on that second date. Or at least let me see you in them again.”

With another sly little smirk, Devin slipped back into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, leaving Ricky to his own devices once again. After some debate, he decided to take the bait and poked around until he found a t-shirt and a pair of sweats to change into. Skeptical of just how Devin would react to him crawling into his bed uninvited, Ricky found his place back on the couch with Absinthe who was more than happy to keep him company. 

When Devin reemerged, he looked like an entirely different person than before. Behind the mask he was even prettier in Ricky’s opinion. Soft but still defined features, lips pulled into a perpetual pout. Oh, and there was the fact that he didn’t have a shirt on. That was also a contributing factor. Ricky knew he looked like an absolute idiot staring, but he’d lost his ability to act like a sensible human being around 3:00. Not that Devin minded the attention anyway. 

Actually, it had been a while since anyone had looked at him with anything other than pure hatred or just plain old lust. Or both. There was something about Ricky’s gaze that had him somewhere between wanting to cover up and hide and bask in it forever. Not like he’d ever really admit that though. He brushed off the feeling and took a breath before clearing his throat to snap Ricky back to reality. “I don’t know about you, but I think I’m about ready to hibernate for the winter. God, I’m so glad I don’t have to work tomorrow.” He couldn’t bring himself to embarrass the poor dude. Again. 

Ricky would have been stumbling all over his words but thankfully, he had a minute to recover with Devin picking right back up on filling in the silence. “Trust me, I’m right there with you. Never would have expected tonight to be so eventful, but I won’t complain. Not for a minute.”

Devin gave him a little smile, “Nope, me either. Come on, don’t be a stranger. I’m not letting you sleep on that couch. I passed out on it  _ once  _ and felt it for  _ days  _ afterwards. You’re probably suffering enough as is.”

“No, really, it’s fine. I already feel like I’m intruding. Just give me a blanket or something and I’ll be good.”

Devin rolled his eyes and crossed the room, grabbing Ricky by the hand and tugging on his arm. “Come on, don’t be stubborn. I’m used to sharing a bed, believe me. I insist.”

“ _ I’m  _ stubborn? Dude, are you listening to yourself?” Ricky laughed, giving in fairly easily and letting Devin pull him to his feet.

“Don’t get mouthy with me, I still have time to change my mind.” Devin bit his lip to keep the goofy smile that wanted to surface at bay. He pushed Ricky along towards the bed, keeping on his heels the whole way before he got close enough to collapse onto the mattress with a satisfied groan. He forced himself to crawl in underneath the covers and managed to coax a still leery Rick into doing the same. “By the way, you make my clothes look even cuter than I do. That’s not easy to do, you know.”

Ricky gave him a little shove and nuzzled deep into the pillows, trying to hide his face. He murmured a quiet ‘thank you’ and pulled the blankets up over him in a further attempt to obscure himself from view. “If I wind up getting a little to close for comfort in the middle of the night you can just push me away. I know I’m little but I’ll take up a lot of space if you let me.” 

“Nah, it’s cool. I wouldn’t mind if you got a little closer right now.”

“I was gonna ask if it was weird to ask strangers to cuddle but decided against it. I guess we’re kind of past the point of strangers though, considering I  _ am  _ in your bed right now.” 

“I’m not the person to ask, I’ve done far worse than cuddle with virtual strangers.” Devin scooted in closer, leaving it up to Ricky to close the gap if he so desired. He had a feeling he would.

Sure enough, after another moment’s thought he was melted right up against him. It felt right, in a weird way. More comfortable than it probably should have been, all things considered. The thought crossed their minds that this whole thing might have happened for a reason— but that sounded just a little too cliche. 

Ricky nuzzled against Devin’s shoulder as he tossed an arm over him. He’d just decided to accept his fate at this point. He would have given another bout of his gratitude, but it seemed that Devin was way ahead of him. 

“This all really is no problem, by the way. I would have taken tonight even without all the thank you’s and shit. I  _ am  _ glad you didn’t turn out to be a dick though. You definitely made things a whole lot more interesting, so thank  _ you  _ for that. I’d take someone new to put up with me over coming home tired and bitter any day of the week.” 

Ricky looked up at him with a soft smile even if he knew he probably couldn’t see it. “Hey, who knows. If this winds up lasting, tonight will probably turn into one crazy story to tell.” 

“Absolutely. I can already tell it’ll be one of my favorites.”  


End file.
